Trailer hitch-mounted table

ABSTRACT

A trailer hitch-mounted table is disclosed herein. The table includes an L-shaped frame for attachment to the trailer hitch of a land vehicle. The L-shaped frame also carries a tabletop remote from the trailer hitch. A pair of support leg is affixed to the tabletop for supporting the tabletop, and one or more umbrellas, when the table is used.

CONTINUING APPLICATION DATA This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 601/328,240, filed on Apr. 27, 2010. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to package and article carriers and, more specifically, to such carriers having couplings that cooperate with the trailer hitches of vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A tailgate party is a get-together that takes place around the open tailgate of a land vehicle which often serves as a bench seat, bar, or buffet table. People attending such a party are said to be tailgaters. Tailgaters often find themselves chatting with friends, playing games, dancing, and consuming freshly grilled foods. It is not unusual for alcoholic beverages to be consumed, sometimes to excess, by tailgaters.

Most tailgate parties occur in the parking lots of stadiums and arenas before athletic competitions are conducted inside. In this way, tailgaters can “loosen up” before the sometimes lengthy competitions and reduce expenditures since food purchased from stadium concessionaires is pricey. It is not uncommon for tailgaters to forgo attending the athletic competition that was the ostensible reason for the tailgate party.

Tailgate parties have become common at gatherings unrelated to sports like weddings and barbecues. Tailgating sometimes happens during fishing excursions, camping trips, and beach visits. Of course, an impromptu tailgate party can take place virtually anywhere.

Although the tailgates of land vehicles have been the focal points of tailgate parties, they are not ideally suited to act as seats or surfaces upon which foods and beverages can be easily prepared and served. Tailgates are often positioned so low that working on them is a backbreaking chore. They are also frequently irregularly shaped, too, with concavities that make balancing cups and dishes difficult.

Many attempts have been made to provide a table capable of attachment to the rear of a land vehicle. Most are supported by the vehicle's trailer hitch which is convenient since the table can be moved from place to place without taking up cargo space within the vehicle. Unfortunately, the known tables are often cumbersome, tippy, and difficult to use. Thus, a need exists for a trailer hitch-mounted table that is superior to those currently available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the problems associated with vehicle tailgates and tailgate tables of known construction, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a trailer hitch-mounted table that is very stable when deployed yet that can be compactly transported.

It is another object of the invention to provide a trailer hitch-mounted table that can be set up and taken down with minimal instruction and without resort to specialized tools. (Only a wrench is needed.) My table is intuitive to use.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a trailer hitch-mounted table that can be mounted upon vehicles of various makes and models.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved features and arrangements thereof in a trailer hitch-mounted table for the purposes described that is lightweight in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and fully dependable in use.

My trailer hitch-mounted table achieves the intended objects by featuring a frame adapted for attachment to the trailer hitch of a land vehicle. A tabletop is affixed to, and carried by, the frame. The tabletop has a top panel whose opposite ends are provided with a pair of holes. The tabletop also has a pair of socket members that are affixed to the bottom of the panel. Each of the socket members is affixed to a respective one of the opposite ends of the top panel between the pair of holes therein. A pair of support legs is releasably fastened to the tabletop. Each of the support legs has a central post with a top end snugly, yet releasably, positioning within one of the socket members, and a pair of tubular braces that is affixed to the central post and is snugly, yet releasably, positioned within the pair of holes in the top panel.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of my trailer hitch-mounted table will become readily apparent upon consideration of the following description of the preferred table embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

My trailer hitch-mounted table can be more readily understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a trailer hitch-mounted table in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the table of FIG. 1 shown mounted upon the trailer hitch of a land vehicle having a portion broken away.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the trailer hitch-mounted table.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of one end of the tabletop of the trailer hitch-mounted table.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one support leg of the trailer hitch-mounted table with the bottom portion thereof being broken away.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the FIGS., a trailer hitch-mounted table is shown generally at 10. The table 10 includes an L-shaped frame 12. The L-shaped frame 12 is adapted for attachment to the trailer hitch 14 of a land vehicle 16. The L-shaped frame 12 also carries a tabletop 18 remote from the trailer hitch 14. A pair of support legs 20 is affixed to the tabletop 18 for supporting the tabletop 18 when the table 10 is in use.

The L-shaped frame 12 has a horizontal portion 22 and a vertical portion 24 affixed to one another at right angles. The forward end of the horizontal portion 22 is adapted for insertion into the trailer hitch 14 and has a transverse bore 26 for the passage of a retaining pin (not shown) that locks the forward end of the horizontal portion 22 within the trailer hitch 14. The rearward end of the horizontal portion 22 carries the vertical portion 24.

The vertical portion 24 telescopes in length so that the height of the tabletop 18 above the trailer hitch 14 and ground can be adjusted to suit the needs of a user. To this end, the vertical portion 24 is provided with a tubular sleeve 28 that is affixed to the rearward end of the horizontal portion 22 and a movable support 30 that fits snugly, yet slidably, within the sleeve 28. The longitudinal axis of the sleeve 28 is vertically oriented so that the movable support 30 can only slide up and down within the sleeve 28.

The sleeve 28 is provided with a lateral bore 32 for selective alignment with any one of a number of similarly oriented bores 34 in the movable support 30. Through the aligned bores 32 and 34, a retaining pin 36 is extended to fix the length of the vertical portion 24. Setting the length of the vertical portion 24 longer rather than shorter positions the tabletop 18 higher above the trailer hitch 14 and the ground.

The movable support 30 has three principal parts: a support arm 38 that slides within the sleeve 28 and has the bores 34, a horizontal crosspiece 40 that is positioned atop the support arm 38 for stabilizing the tabletop 18, and a U-shaped retaining bracket 42 that connects the crosspiece 40 to the support arm 38. A number of horizontal bores 44 and 46, respectively located in the centers of the crosspiece 40 and the retaining bracket 42, are provided for the passage of threaded fasteners 48 that connect the crosspiece 40 and the retaining bracket 42 together.

The crosspiece 40 comprises an elongated bar 50 having a pair of opposed stabilizing fins 52 affixed to each of the opposite ends thereof. Each of the fins 52 is provided with a vertical bore 54 for the passage of a threaded fastener 56 that connects the tabletop 18 to the movable support 30.

The tabletop 18 is an elongated, rectangular box having an open front for access to the interior thereof. As such, the tabletop 18 has an upper, horizontally oriented, top panel 58 where food and beverages can be prepared and served. Spaced in parallel fashion below the top panel 58 is a bottom panel 60 upon which food serving implements can be stored. Connecting the top panel 58 and bottom panel 60 together are a pair of vertically oriented, side panels 62. Each one of the side panels 62 extends downwardly from a respective one of the ends of the top panels 58 to a respective one of the ends of the bottom panel 60. At the rear of the tabletop 18, a rear panel 64 closes the space framed by the top panel 58, bottom panel 60, and side panels 62.

The top panel 58 is provided with a greater length than the bottom panel 60 so that the opposite ends of the top panel 58 project outwardly from the side panels 62 thereby providing the tabletop 18 with wings or cantilevered portions 66. Each of the cantilevered portions 66 has a pair of holes 68 sized to receive either the pole 70 of a large beach umbrella 72 or the handle of a fishing rod (not shown). As shown, one of the holes 68 is spaced inwardly from the other of the holes 68 and is closer to a side panel 62.

One of a pair of rectangular socket members 74 is affixed to a respective one of the cantilevered portions 66. As shown, each socket member 74 projects downwardly from the bottom of a cantilevered portion 66 between the holes 68. A horizontal opening 76 is provided in the socket member 74 for the passage of a threaded fastener 78 that secures a support leg 20 to the tabletop 18.

Each support leg 20 includes a central post 80, the top of which can be snugly, yet releasably, positioned within a socket member 74. The central post 80 has a fixed length sufficient to extend from the ground to the tabletop 18 set at a chosen height. (Alternatively, the central post 80 can be made to telescope in the manner of the vertical portion 24 to accommodate a multiplicity of tabletop 18 height settings.) A lateral opening 82 is provided in the top of each post 80 of axial alignment with the opening 74 in a socket member 74 and the passage of a threaded fastener 78.

Each support leg 20 includes a pair of tubular braces 86 affixed to opposite sides of the central post 80. The braces 86 adapted for insertion into the openings 68 in the cantilevered portions 66 of the tabletop 18. The braces 86 have an outer diameter that fits snugly, yet releasably, into the openings 68 when the top of the post 80 is inserted into a socket member 74. The inner diameters of the braces 86 are sized to accommodate the umbrella pole 70 or a fishing rod handle. The length of the braces 86 are sufficient to retain the umbrella pole 70 in an upright position without undue strain when the umbrella 72 is open in strong winds. A pair of thumbscrews 88 penetrating each of the braces 86 locks the umbrella pole 70 therein at a selected height when tightened.

Each support leg 20 includes a pair of spacer blocks 90. Each one of the spacer blocks 90 is positioned between the post 80 and a respective one of the tubular braces 86. The blocks 90 are of sufficient size and shape to position the braces 86 for easy insertion into the holes 68.

The use of the trailer hitch-mounted table 10 is straightforward. First, assuming that the frame 12 and tabletop 18 are connected to one another, the forward end of the horizontal portion 22 is slid into the trailer hitch 14 and a retaining pin is slid through the trailer hitch 14 and the bore 26 to position the table 10 on the back of the vehicle 16. Next, the vehicle 16 is driven to a location where a tailgate party is desired. After properly parking the vehicle 16, the height of the tabletop 18 is adjusted by moving the support 30 up or down within the sleeve 28. Then, the support legs 20 are deployed by inserting the posts 80 into the socket members 74 and the tubular braces 86 into the holes 66. The fasteners 78 are extended through the openings 76 and 82 to lock the legs 20 in place. Afterward, umbrella poles 70 are extended through the holes 68 and into any of the braces 86 and the beach umbrellas 72 are opened to provide shelter. The thumbscrews 88 are tightened to tightly fasten the umbrella poles 70 to the tabletop 18. Finally, foods and beverages are prepared and served on the top panel 58 with serving implements being held out-of-the-way on the bottom panel 60.

When the party is over, the table 10 can be taken away from the party site by reversing the steps outlined immediately above. The table 10 can be kept in place on the vehicle 16 for transport and storage or it can be easily detached and stored in another location, like a garage, for immediate reuse.

Setting up and taking down the table 10 requires a few minutes and a few simple tools to accomplish. Clean-ups of the table 10, when necessary, can be performed with a few swipes of a soapy sponge. Thus, a few minutes of work with the table 10 can provide hours of outdoor fun.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many changes can be made to the table 10 which has been described above with a high degree of particularity. For example, taillights and reflectors can be affixed to it to accommodate traffic rules of restrictive jurisdictions and night driving conditions. Also, seats and storage platforms can also be attached to the frame 12, although these things may add to the weight, complexity, and cost of the table 10. Therefore, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited merely to the trailer hitch-mounted table 10 described above, but encompasses any and all tables within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A trailer hitch-mounted table, comprising: a frame being adapted for attachment to the trailer hitch of a land vehicle; a tabletop being affixed to, and carried by, said frame, said tabletop having: a top panel with opposite ends and each of said ends being provided with a pair of holes; and, a pair of socket members being affixed to the bottom of said top panel, each of said socket members being affixed to a respective one of said opposite ends of said top panel between said pair of holes therein; and, a pair of support legs being releasably fastened to said tabletop, each of said support legs having: a central post with a top end snugly, yet releasably, positioning within one of said socket members; and, a pair of tubular braces being affixed to said central post and being snugly, yet releasably, positioned within said pair of holes in said top panel.
 2. The trailer hitch-mounted table according to claim 1 wherein said frame is L-shaped and includes: a horizontal portion having a forward end adapted for insertion into the trailer hitch of a land vehicle and also having a rearward end remote from said forward end; and, a vertical portion being affixed to, and carried by, said rearward end of said horizontal portion.
 3. The trailer hitch-mounted table according to claim 2 wherein said vertical portion telescopes and includes: a tubular sleeve being affixed to said rearward end of said horizontal portion, and said sleeve being provided with a first lateral bore; a movable support being slidably engaged with said tubular sleeve, said movable support having: a support arm being slidably positioned within said tubular sleeve and having a plurality of second lateral bores along the length thereof for registration with said first lateral bore; a horizontal crosspiece being affixed to, and positioned atop, said support arm for stabilizing the tabletop; and, a retaining pin being extended through said first lateral bore and a user-selected one of said second lateral bores for fixing the length of said vertical portion.
 4. The trailer hitch-mounted table according to claim 1 wherein said tabletop is an elongated, rectangular box having an open front for access to the interior thereof.
 5. The trailer hitch-mounted table according to claim 4 wherein said elongated box has a top panel that projects outwardly from the opposite sides thereof so as to define cantilevered portions, said cantilevered portions having said holes therein and said socket members being affixed thereto. 